Minnesota’s law schools — already under competitive pressure given that there are four — are feeling the pain. Hamline and the University of St. Thomas School of Law have both seen a drop in applications commensurate with the 15 percent to 20 percent average in the ABA’s Great Lakes region.

Applications will roll in for a few more months, but St. Thomas may admit a class of 130, compared with 156 in 2011, according to spokesman Chato Hazelbaker. Hamline’s incoming class, too, will contract even though last year’s was 30 percent smaller than the year before, said Lewis.

Administrators who track admissions data at William Mitchell College of Law were not available this week, but there’s no reason to think the program isn’t facing similar challenges.

About the blogger

Alex Friedrich reports on higher education issues for MPR News. Among the stories he has covered: the fall of the Berlin Wall, aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, 2003 Moscow suicide bombing and 2004 presidential elections in the Republic of Georgia. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Georgia and a master’s in European political economy from the London School of Economics.